Two die in Dunedin accidents

DUNEDIN -- On Thanksgiving, Bradley Chase baked a turkey, with all the trimmings. He spread out six plates, one for him and one plate each for his five wolves.

Chase was a loner, a man with few friends and little contact with his family. But he had his wolves, and, according to a friend, that was enough.

"They are like his children," said Bill Schultz, his friend of 27 years.

On Thursday, Chase was one of two Palm Harbor residents killed in separate traffic accidents.

At 6:37 p.m., Christopher Bischoff, 31, of St. Petersburg was turning left onto San Christopher Road from County Road 1 when Chase's motorcycle hit the side of Bischoff's 1997 Dodge pickup, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Chase, 44, of 4450 Winding Willow Drive in Palm Harbor was wearing a helmet, but he suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at Bayfront Medical Center at 7:44 p.m., said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Greg Tita.

About an hour later and less than 2 miles from the first accident, Virginia E. Borgesi, 54, of 3847 Wildwood Court, Unit 225 in Palm Harbor, lost control of her 1996 Plymouth Neon on Belcher Road near Saddle Hill Road N.

She was northbound when her car slid off the road and struck a light pole. The back side of the car also hit a 11-foot concrete wall before plunging to the bottom of a culvert.

Witnesses said Borgesi's car was speeding and swerving, but deputies ruled out alcohol as a factor. They suspect her driving was impaired by a medical emergency. Authorities are now researching her medical history and will inspect her car for mechanical problems, said Cpl. Glenn Luben of the Sheriff's Office.

Luben was at the first accident scene when the call came notifying deputies of the second. "How can we have another one?" Luben said he thought at the time.

Dunedin is a city that had just two traffic fatalities in 1999. With Thursday's, there have been three in the city this year.

"It's odd it would happen," Luben said.

Schultz said Chase was driving to his home for dinner when the accident happened. When he didn't arrive, Schultz figured his friend changed his mind and decided to eat alone. He said Chase lived a simple life. His wolves brought him considerable joy.

The first wolf, a female, came into Chase's life three years ago. From there, a male followed, and the two had a litter.

"He was a good, honest guy," Schultz said. "He went out on a good note."